


One Friend

by amyvu1412



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Dependent!Oliver, Good!Malcolm, Guilty!Slade, Laura's in a coma, M/M, evil!Moira
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-10-19
Packaged: 2018-06-01 19:45:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 19,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6533932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amyvu1412/pseuds/amyvu1412
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Oliver chose to give Slade a cure the very first time as the two were on the burning Amazo?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Choice to Make

It's true that he killed Sara. Slade had tortured him. Branded him with Shado's tattoo to insure he would never forget what he did. So that Oliver would never forget why Slade tortured him. 

But Slade was Oliver's last friend. The only friend in the world. Tommy may have been his best friend in the past, but he would never do what Slade had done for Oliver. Laurel may never forgive him for saving her sister's killer. Detective Lance would never forgive him. But they would never understand Oliver's relationship with Slade.

They'd never understand the trust the two of them built. The courage Slade must have had when he first allowed Oliver to live. The live and death experiences the two had would never compare to the miniscule time Oliver had shared with Yao Fei, Shado, or even Sara.

To Oliver, Sara was still same person that died on the Queen's Gambit. He saw her die and the fact that she's here still hasn't sunk into his conscious. He could betray the last few day's memories of her over the one good friend he still has. 

Despite Slade electrocuting him and branding Oliver with Shado's mark Oliver understood that the mirakuru only enhanced what was already there. The rage that Slade had at Oliver was Oliver's own fault and it was time he manned up on that. If Slade still wanted to kill Oliver after he cures him, then so be it.

"Don't die on me yet Slade." Oliver prays as he administers the cure into Slade's bloodstream. You're all I got now. Oliver still had to get himself and the unconscious Slade off the burning Amazo too. Well there's only one way off since Anatoly blew the damn place up. Not that Oliver could blame the guy.


	2. Confessions

Dear Lord Slade! Do you have any idea how hard it is to lug your ass out of a burning frigate, through freezing cold waters, and back to a crashed airplane? Oliver thought in his mind as he finally made it to the even more wrecked (if that was even possible) airplane.

The only thing Oliver wanted to do at this moment was crash on a cot and sleep before waking up and mourning at the situation he just caused. Maybe if I told him the truth in the beginning this would've never happened. I'm so sorry, Slade. Oliver couldn't do that however, because if he did then he'd wake up with an arrow to the face courtesy of a certain Slade Wilson. So instead of falling into bliss Oliver limped to where Shado stored the rope, tied Slade to a post, threw a blanket on the guy so he doesn't die after all of Oliver's hard work and finally, finally, Oliver crashed in a deep sleep on Slade's old, bigger, and nicer cot.

Oliver woke up before dawn broke. Where the hell is Anatoly anyway? Oh yeah, I told him to get off the island with the others if he could… well that blows up another plan.  
Oliver glanced at Slade and found him to still be knocked out. Wondering what it was that Oliver should be doing today he realized he should be out hunting for food. Be right back Slade.

It was six hours later when Oliver came back to the crashed plane with a gutted pig, much like how Slade did when Oliver was fixated with fixing that damn radio, and Slade was staring right at him, his glares of death stabbing Oliver with a want for revenge.

"You cured me." It wasn't a question. Is that a good thing?

"Yeah, people tend to do that if they have the cures for their insane psychopathic friends." Oliver quipped back, dropping the pig on the ground.

"This doesn't change the fact that you killed Shado. I'll kill you Oliver. I'll strip away everything you have until you have nothing left to despair over…" Slade continued on his speech of death and destruction.

Now Oliver was in no way heartless to what he did to Slade, in fact he wanted to atone for what he did to his best-friend. But the thing was, at the time of Shado's death, he thought Slade was dead and so did everyone else.

"We thought you were dead."

"And she loved you, you selfish brat. She chose you over me and you chose little miss blondie over the woman that saved your life. The woman that taught you how to use that bow. The woman that made love with you-" Oliver had to cut into that.

Oliver had enough of Slade's presumptions. So Oliver had kissed Shado and spent a lot of time talking to her and even had sex with the woman. But it reason wasn't because he loved her.

"WE WERE NEVER IN LOVE, YOU ASS!" Oliver screamed at Slade, the pig lying between the two.

"What?" Slade gasped in disbelief. Shado chose Oliver, Slade knew that. That was why the two were spending so much time together. He saw them kissing in the water after Oliver killed that mercenary. There's no way the two weren't in-

"We both liked someone else, but we were too scared to confess. We both loved you Slade, and after you died Shado and I were in such shock, but then Ivo made me choose and I saw Shado's face." Oliver described the situation to the slack jawed Slade. Slade wasn't even looking at Oliver when he described how Shado was crying over their loss. How she had resigned on life.

"The moment you died Slade, Shado and I knew we wouldn't be living on this island anymore. When we all teamed up together. Shado, you and I, we vowed that we'd get of this purgatory. Together. When you died Slade, we were both going to kill ourselves. And Shado was ready. She looked at me with Ivo jamming a gun at her temple and mouthed kill me."

"Get out." Slade stammered. _If I had only told Shado earlier then maybe this wouldn't have happened._

"I'll give you some time to think." Oliver softly whispered and took the pig out to cook.


	3. More Decisions

Slade didn't know how he was supposed to feel with what Oliver told him. At the moment he just felt numb. He supposed he should think of what Oliver told him about Shado. So she loved me after all. Slade thought back on what Oliver told him:  
We both liked someone else, but we were too scared to confess. We both loved you Slade.

He said he loved me. After all I did to him. I electrocuted you, Oliver. Why do you still love me after what I did to you. Why didn't you kill me? Slade saw a piece of sharp metal by his hands. It might be enough to cut through the bindings. 

line break

I confessed to him. Holy shit I confessed.

"HOLY CRAP!" Oliver screamed at the sky in despair. 

Oliver didn't think he could take it anymore. After leaving the plane and dropping the pig close by he had to shut down. Oliver sunk down to the jungle's flooring against a demolished tree. Pulling up his knees to his face, Oliver wished it was raining so at the very least he could pretend he wasn't crying.

Why did I do that? I didn't have to tell him I loved him. There's no way it'll ever happen anyway. Not after what I did to Shado. If I just knew Slade was still alive I would've chosen Sara. Dammit. If I just made Shado tough it out for even one more god damn minute, then we'd all be together again. Slade would've been with Shado, but at least we'd all be together. Now. I'm just alone.

chop that line and break it in half

Slade had finally cut through the rope. 

I can't blame him for what he did. Shado thought I was dead, so she wanted to die. Oliver said they all planned to get off Lian Yu together. I died so Shadow wanted to die too. Now instead, Shado's dead so maybe I should just… Slade brought up the sharp metal piece and put it to his wrist. It's what I deserve.

So many line breaks

"I'm so sorry Shado." Oliver sobbed to himself. Tears were streaming down his face. His breath was hard to catch up on so every word he said was broken up. "So. So. Sorry. It… fault."

"Oliver." Shado whispered to Oliver's ear, "s'not… fault… to.. Slade… happy." And then she disappeared.

Oliver jumped up from hearing Shado's voice. Ghost chills running up his spine he had a bad feeling about Slade. He ran back to his one and only friend left. Oliver ran to the clearing just in time to see Slade free and about to slit his wrist. "SLADE NO!" Oliver screamed as he tried to run fast enough to stop the suicidal idiot. 

Slade saw Oliver running toward him. "It's my fault." Slade said using the metal to cut into his wrist, the metal slowly letting blood drip onto the poisonous land called Lian Yu.

"I almost killed you. I killed your friend. I was your friend Oliver, but now I'm someone who should pay for what he did to you."

Oliver couldn't believe this is what Slade had turned to. Because of Ivo. Because of Wintergreen. Because of himself.

"You said once that we were brothers. And right now I am begging you brother to brother, just listen to me!" Oliver was desperate and his sobbing for not even five minutes ago started rushing back, "I love you. You got half of your face burned off because of me… It's my fault this all happened. I made you run out into that field for Shado. I injected you with that miracle This is all my fault. If anyone should just die and go to hell it's me. So please, don't leave me alone here. You're all I have left Slade."

Oliver was inching closer to the man he loved until his hand rested on top of the hand that was slowly cutting into his love's life vein. "Don't leave me alone." Oliver sobbed into Slade's shoulder, "Please. God, don't leave me alone…"


	4. Resolution

Slade pulled the piece of shrapnel off from his vein in shock. He still felt guilty. Guilty for what he did to Oliver. To his friend Sara. He still wants to die. But Oliver needs him. 

Slade is the last thing that Oliver has in this world. Oliver doesn't have his family anymore. He doesn't have his little sister Thea. He doesn't have his dad or even his mom. Even if Oliver were to somehow escaped the island right now, there's no way he could reconnect with his family the same way. 

Oliver wasn't damaged. He just changed. Before, Oliver was could be compared to a piece of cotton. He was slight, frail, and easy to cut, but now, he's changed. Oliver's turned into a well made military uniform: tough, resistant, and everlasting. The problem is his family wouldn't know how to use Oliver. His mother would treat Oliver as a fragile piece of china, when in fact he was a heavy duty piece of silverware. 

They wouldn't understand the new Oliver. They wouldn't understand their lifestyle of using everything to its to the bare bone. They wouldn't understand how they had to eat their food as quickly and efficiently as they could. They wouldn't understand the nightmares the both of them got in the middle of the nights. Of their dreams making them relive their torture. Of Wintergreen. Of Slade. Of both.

"I'm sorry, kid. I won't leave just yet." Slade whispered into the blond puppy's ear he pushed the puppy's head just a little bit closer to the nape of his neck. 

Slade would rub Oliver's back in circular motions as the blond started hiccupping from his cries and eventually stopped when Oliver fell asleep. Slade noticed that night was still awhile away and that the pig still wasn't cooked although it was gutted. That made him smile. A year ago, Oliver wouldn't have been able to even stomach gutting the animal.  
Carefully moving Oliver to a cot, Slade moved from his position to make a fire for the pig and eventually dinner for the two. He'd have to cut a portion of meat for tonight and make a smoker for the rest of the meat. Luckily the smoker Slade used for the last pig wasn't destroyed when Ivo dropped missiles onto the plane. 

Cutting off the best pieces of meat off the pig for tonight, Slade then cut the rest of the meat into thin strips for the smoker. If Slade had the right ingredients, Slade could've made some delicious smoked pig, but unfortunately the island didn't have hickory wood, apples, or even cedar to give the meat more flavor. Fortunately, the two of them were use to unseasoned foods and if they were to eat something unseasoned the camp would have a pile of puke on its edge. 

Shifting around the wreckage that was still their home, Slade found some empty water canteens and went to the river to get some water. Hopefully, the man would come back before Oliver woke up, although Slade doubted Oliver would be up so soon. Not after all he'd done to the kid.

It wasn't even a full day after Slade cut off Ivo's hand, eventually killing him, and the Amazo exploding in half. 

Slade was crouching down to get fill up the canteens, when he felt a gun being pointed at his head. A Russian voice being the only thing Slade could hear besides the thumping of his own heart. "One reason why I should kill you for what you did to my friend." It wasn't a question, that was for sure.

"Friend?" Who was this guy? Was he one of Ivo's men? Either way it should be easy to disarm the man.

"Oliver." The voice stated in cold fury, "The blond American you took."

"What!" Slade said in confusion, Who was this guy? "Oliver's still alive, he's resting at the plane wreck. Who are you?"

It should be fine to reveal where Oliver was, this guy did say he was friends with the pup. Of course, Oliver was making friends in no matter what situation he was in.  
The gun was pulled back from Slade's head. "Anatoli Knyazev. Show me to where he is."

"Is there anyone else with you?" Slade asked as he capped the water canteens.

"No. Only me. The other prisoners died from all the medical procedures."

Ok then. Slade led the hopeful ally to his exhausted friend.


	5. Fears

By the time Slade and Anatoli returned to the plane wreckage, Oliver was sleeping snuggly inside Slade's cot. The only thing indicating he was even there was a small tuff of dirty blond hair that was pushed up from under the blanket he was under. Even now, it was apparent that Oliver was burrowing deeper into the cot, possibly instinctively searching for Slade's scent that had left an impression on the cot after numerous sweaty and nightmarish nights.

Slade still had a lot to prepare for when Oliver woke up if the group wanted to at least have a safe and comfortable meal after the previous day's event. Motioning for Anatoli to take a seat on one of the logs in the plane, Slade shifted through the gear he had previously stolen from the deceased Fyers' camp, looking for some pots to boil the water and hopefully kill the bacteria that resided in it.

Slade still had the good pieces of pork left, so after cutting the meat into pieces that would cook faster, he ran them through a couple of shark sticks and left them hanging above the fire using y-shaped branches on either sides of the fire. Hopefully, by the time the water boiled and the pork was fully cooked, Oliver would wake up and Anatoli would stop glaring daggers at the Aussie. 

"So, you and the… American? Have made up, yes?" Anatoli spoke to the Australian man that tortured Anatoli's student and friend.

Anatoli didn't know a lot about Slade. The only things he knew was from what Oliver told the Russian. These were that Slade was a friend and could be trusted. Although the fact that this "to be trusted" man tortured and nearly killed the boy, riddled this statement with many bullet shaped holes, Anatoli could see that he boy still trusted and maybe even loves the man. 

"There was a …" Slade stopped to find the right word. How could anyone describe the pain and suffering both Ivo and Slade pushed on to Oliver?

"There was a misunderstanding." A simple misunderstanding that caused Slade to become insane with jealousy and eventually betray his best friend and kill a woman who was simply trying to help.

"And yes. We cleared it up." And Slade would spend the rest of his life making it up to Oliver. If Oliver was a young pup that still needed guidance from time to time, then Slade would become the ever watching guardian, always staying a step ahead to maul anything that comes onto his lover's path of survival.

Lovers? Is that how Slade thought of the kid now? Were these feelings real or are they just a way his mind rationalized? A way for Slade to lessen his guilt on what he did to the blond? Either way, at the moment, a single thought of Oliver seemed to make Slade's mirakuru-free heart flutter with anxiety.

Anatoli could see that Slade was deep in thought, so he took charge of cooking the meat and water. It had been months since the Russian had eaten a good and real piece of meat. The gruel that Ivo served to his "passengers" could hardly be called dog food, let alone human.

Anatoli thought back to his time on the Amazo. The medical experiments put a permanent burn in his body. He could still feel the medication being injected into his blood stream. It seemed as if everything the medication touched and spread to would burn everything and to this very day, Anatoli could still feel it.

Both men were so deep in their thoughts that Oliver's scream of fear almost caused both the Russian and Aussie to knock over their dinner in a mad rush to find and kill what was scaring their friend. 

line break

Please let this be a dream.

I'm so sorry. I'msosorry.I'msosorry.I'msosorry. Oliver kept repeating as all he could do was stand and watch as a different Oliver decided to instead of using the mirakuru cure, decide to stab the person he LOVED IN THE EYE.

Everything started to turn into a blur after that, but then fast forwarded to the future, as if some all powerful cosmic being was turning his life into a movie.

"You are not a hero. Or a friend. Or a brother. You are nothing. Do not turn your back on me, not again." He's alive! Was the mirakuru that effective if Slade could survive an arrow to the eye?

"I'm going to tear everything he cares about away from him. Destroy those who choose to follow him. Corrupt those he loves. Once he has lost everyone and everything he values, I will drive an arrow through his eye." Is this what would have happened? If I hadn't cured him?

It changed again. To a clearing this time. I was on the floor. My hair was cut really short. Slade had a mask on. A metallic version of the orange and black mask he used when he was still Wintergreen's partner. He had a gun on two women. An older blond like him and a younger brunet.

"Choose." Slade said to the older me. What? Why would you do this? Who are they? Wait. No! Nononononono. Mom? Please, stop it Slade! Stop. Pleasepleasepleaseplease. Oh god no. THEA!

"I think we both know how this will end, Mr. Wilson." Mom. Please don't do this. Please, Thea still needs you. I still-

"You have courage, Mrs. Queen. If only it had passed onto your son." Slade put his gun back. Yes! You still have heart Slade! Of course the mirakuru couldn't have changed you- He took his sword and stabbed Moira through her chest.

Mommy!

line break

Oliver woke up from his night terror in the arms of his mother's killer. But even then it didn't matter. Because to his mother, Oliver had been dead for over a year and Slade was all that Oliver had left. And wasn't that just pathetic.

He was just so scared. Of whether or not the two would survive. If anyone else would come to the island and kill them. Of the future that could have been if Oliver had tried to kill Slade instead of cure him. The only thing that Oliver had the strength to do was hold onto this man and pray that he wouldn't ever leave him.

Slade could feel Oliver's hands connect together on his back, tightly grasping together in the hopes that Slade would never leave. In return, Slade put one arm around the puppy and the other arm on his blond angelic hair to softly push Oliver's head closer so that Slade could whisper sweet promises in the kid's ear of never leaving the young man that he loved.

After a minute of comforting, Oliver finally found himself opening his eyes to the sight of his fellow prisoner. "Anatoli?" Oliver croaked out in exhaustion. Why was this man here? Didn't he leave with the other prisoners?

"Hello Oliver." Anatoli greeted his friend, "Shall we all have a nice meal for once?"

It was at that moment where Oliver's stomach couldn't have had a better timing. and in that moment where Oliver could feel the deep and reverberating grumble of Slade's gruff laugh and hear Anatoli's weak and tired, but strong laugh, Oliver smiled and just knew that everything would be fine and his fears were to be unfound.


	6. On the Way Home

It's been four years after the Ivo incident. Anatoli escaped the island first in his submarine, and A.R.G.U.S. came to investigate the island shortly after. After Amanda blackmailed both Slade and Oliver into working for her, the two eventually gained both their freedom and imprisonment. They were free from the apathetic woman, but they were once again trapped on Lian Yu.

Oliver was once again on the highest peak of Lian Yu. Although this island holds many terrible memories, it also holds some of Oliver's most precious memories. It holds the memories of meeting Yao Fei, albeit it was after said man had an arrow thrust into his shoulder. Memories of meeting Slade and dislocating his thumb so said maniac wouldn't kill him and memories of meeting Shado for the first time as she was help prisoner by Fyers assaulted Oliver every time he looked in the direction of the now overgrown mercenary camp. This time however, Oliver saw something else besides memories of love and hate, destruction and reparation. This time, Oliver found a way off purgatory.

Line Break

"Twenty percent of his body is covered in scar tissue, second-degree burns on his back and arms, x-rays showed at least 12 fractures that never healed properly. " Oliver could hear the doctor talk to another person outside, most likely his mother. Oliver figured he could blame the scar tissue on Wintergreen, the second-degree burns on Slade, and the 12 fractures on pretty much everybody else.

"Has he said anything about what happened?" Moira asked her son's doctor.

"No, he hasn't said a word to the staff, he only talks to the man that showed up with him." the doctor responded.

"Another man? Was someone else on that island?" Moira asked, she never heard about there being another person being on the accursed island.

Moira entered the room, hoping to see a glimpse of the son she hasn't seen in five years. He was just looking out the window as she entered the room, not even looking at her. His hair was cut into the same style he had before the incident of the Queen's Gambit. Another man, wearing military BDUs and boots was sitting on one of the chairs situated on the other side of the room. His hair, short and spiky, his beard trimmed, but not shaved.

"Oh my beautiful boy." Moira gasped out in disbelief. Just as she was about to embrace her long lost son, a hand quickly held her back by her arm.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, lady." A gruff Australian accented voice called out, "A lot happened on that island. Can't promise either of us didn't leave it behind."

Moira couldn't believe the audacity of this stranger. She was Oliver's mother, if anyone knew her son the most it was her. In a rage, she pulled her wrist out of the Australian's grip and embraced her son against the man's advice. 

Moira expected everything to return to normal after her son was announced to be alive. Oliver would come home to her, Walter, and Thea. Sure Walter was a surprise, but she was sure that Oliver understood that his father had been dead for five years to her and that she moved on. Thea would certainly stop her reckless lifestyle of drugs and alcohol after Oliver came back to live in the mansion. And most importantly, Oliver would come back and take hold of his rightful place in Queen's consolidated. She expected her son to relax in her embrace, after all a mother's love would be just what her son was missing for the most in five years, but instead all she got was a rigid and trembling body that could never truly get adjusted to the safety that he now attained.

Oliver pushed his mother's body away from his, afraid he would snap her neck after the ambush. The doctor told her what happened to his body. Couldn't she tell that he just couldn't handle being held right now? Did she think everything would return to what once was when he returned to Starling City? Oliver could barely get a decent night's sleep unless it was next to Slade, his head pushed into the older man's chest for comfort against the cold and damp forests of Lian Yu. Even now, Oliver could barely even function without the gruff Australian by his side, and Oliver was sure that if Slade ever left, Oliver would sink into the same vegetative state that he had first sunk to when Amanda Waller first captured the pair and separated the two. 

Slade could see the muscles in Oliver's arms tense in anticipation of almost snapping his own mother's neck, and quickly pulled the idiotic mother off of her traumatized son. Looking into his puppy's eyes, Slade could still sense a state of panic and because of that he carefully grasped Oliver's shoulder and murmured words of encouragement to the young man.

"Sorry." Oliver whispered. It was unclear as to who this apology was for, but either way Slade patted his head anyway.

"Time to go home, kid." Slade smirked at the billionaire.

And Moira Queen couldn't have said it better herself.


	7. Welcome Home

Needless to say, Moira was quite confused to hear that Oliver, her son, wanted to bring home the man the fishermen found with him. She didn't know who the man was, but she could see that he meant a lot to her son and because of that she welcomed the man into her home along with her son.

Line Break

Slade couldn't believe that he was riding in a Bentley and as the driver drove up the driveway, he couldn't believe how huge the home was. When Oliver told the Aussie about his past life, Slade knew he was rich, but he never knew just how rich the man was. 

He thought back to when the two of them first arrived at the hospital in Hong Kong. Unknown to everyone else, it had only been around 3 years since either of them had set foot onto the mainland, and Slade was pretty sure that the both of them would've preferred to living on the island in comparison to the things Amanda Waller forced them to do.  
Slade still remembered when the woman had the both of them knocked unconscious with the aid of Maseo. Still remembered the vacant yet haunted look on Oliver's face when Waller finally allowed the two to see each other in the same room. According to the woman, Oliver entered a vegetative state the moment he realized he was separated from his Australian guardian. It was a week before he was allowed to see his charge, and by then they had hooked the child to multiple IVs and feeding tubes, less the blond die from dehydration. Oliver never even recognized Slade when he entered the rather Spartan room, rather only responding when Slade rushed onto the bed pulling out all the wires and IVs and whispered the words, "I'm here for you, kid. Not leaving. Not now, not ever" from then on, Oliver only calmed down at Slade's whispered promises.

Line Break

The Bentley stopped at the mansion's entrance and as the group left to enter the home, both Slade and Oliver went for the trunk to retrieve their equipment, stopping the chauffer from even touching the items. 

"Your room is exactly as you left it." started Oliver's mother until another man's voice was heard saying his name, "You remember Walter, your father's best friend?"

Oliver walked straight past the African-American to the woman that cared for the man since he was a child. "It's good to see you, Raisa." Oliver greeted the woman.

That's great, he's actually socializing with someone else besides me. Slade watched as he dropped the equipment onto the floor. The mansion was… large. Wood paneling could be seen throughout, and in any other home it would be seen as old fashioned, the size and elegance of the home made the house exude a traditional and homey feeling that promised warmth and love.

"Welcome home, Mr. Oliver." Raisa said and then spoke to her child's mother. Moira Queen may have given birth to the boy, but Raisa was the one who comforted the child with a warm cup of hot chocolate after nightmares. Raisa was the woman that Oliver Queen went to for advice and that was something neither of the two could ever forget. "Mr. Merlyn wishes to join for dinner."

And at that time the sound of a door closing from upstairs could be heard. "Oliver? Did you hear that?" Moira asked her son as she watched him adjust to the new environment.  
Slade watched as Oliver walked around toward the stairs and see a younger brunet come down the staircase. "Hey sis." Oliver started with a smile. 

"I knew it, I knew you were alive." Thea smiled as she quickly walked down the staircase into the loving arms of her brother, "I knew you didn't die."

"You were with me the whole time." 

Lies. Slade watched, but revealed nothing. The time at the island forced Oliver to think nothing of the past. Sure in the first year, Oliver constantly stared at that damned picture, but after he had confessed his love to Slade, the blond had burned the picture during the first meal the two had with the Russian, Anatoli. The moment Oliver woke from his first nightmare after he had rescued Slade the both of them realized that they only had each other. This was further reasoned with the fact that Oliver would become completely unresponsive without the Aussie at his side. Slade noticed that Moira didn't seem to want him in their happy family reunion, but Slade knew that without him there, in their home, the happy reunion would become a disaster.

Line break

The both of them had decided to sleep together on the same bed. Of course everyone else thought that Slade would be in the adjacent room.

Oliver was looking at pictures, when Tommy Merlyn burst into the mansion stating in his usual casual and cocky manner, "Told you, Yachts suck." Slade nearly cracked a smile at that. This Tommy fellow was exactly how Oliver had described him in his stories and was almost like how Oliver was first like, at Lian Yu.

The whole group was seated at the dining table. Extravagant food filled every inch of the dinner table in celebration of Oliver's arrival. Well seasoned steaks and lamb chops adorned everyone's plates with sides of buttered vegetables, and baked potatoes with the complete seasonings of butter, sour cream, chives, onions, and whatever else the chef thought he could cram into the food. Neither of the two castaways could eat a single bite and simply moved the food on the plate to make it seem as if they had eaten.

Oliver had spent five years, Slade even longer, eating only bland food. Lian Yu wasn't equipt with supermarkets, and the both of them couldn’t cook things as much as they'd like. The fire could only be lit for a few hours and it had to be small at that or else it would reveal their position to Fyers. Slade could still remember the time when Oliver had lit a fire while Slade was out hunting. Slade had only hunted a few small game and was furious when Oliver was chilling by a fire he had created, possibly revealing their position and killing the both of them with an amateur mistake. After that Oliver only made fires under Slade's supervision. 

"So what did you miss?" Tommy started hoping to fill the silence, "Let's see, Super bowl winners- Giants, Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants again. A black president, that's new. Oh and, "Lost," they were all dead… I think."

Oliver watched as Walter poured his mother another cup of wine. Did they really think they could hide their relationship? Oliver didn't blame them. Robert did die five years ago, and Oliver wouldn't blame them if they had given up on him either. They were dead to the majority of the world.

"So what was it like there?" Thea asked her brother. 

Slade winced at that. Out of all the questions the woman could've asked, she had to have asked that! What could Oliver had said? Oh, well the first day I got on the island, I was shot by a bow and arrow. And my friend at the table? Well he's my boyfriend, and we actually met when he threatened to cut open my throat. The both of us were actually experimented on as well. You could blame a man called Anthony Ivo for that. 

"Cold." Oliver said and at that Raisa tripped and Oliver had just the right reflexes to catch the woman and reassure her in Russian.

"I didn't know you spoke Russian." Tommy said.

"Yes, I didn't realize you learned to speak in college." 

"I didn't realize you wanted to sleep with my mother." Well, kid. As I've always said "You just can't take care of anything without making a mess."


	8. A Penny for your Thoughts

After that disaster of a dinner, Oliver excused himself from his dinner and Slade, seeing as he couldn't eat any of the food, excused himself as well to avoid any awkward silences. Slade's room was adjacent to Oliver's, and everyone in the manner thought he would spend the rest of the night there, but instead Slade entered Oliver's room alongside the boy.  
By the time the two were ready to hit the soft bed, the storm outside had hit its peak and was raging outside with only the window to protect them from the harsh weather. Slade was deeply asleep with Oliver sleeping fitfully beside the dead Aussie. Unable to handle the heat that both men were exuding on the bed, Oliver opened the windows to the storm outside and lay under the opened shield. Slade was so used to the open climate of Lian Yu he never woke from his deep sleep.

"1, 2, 3. It's getting closer… Laurel's gonna kill me." A loud stroke of thunder rumbled against the yacht's window. "Ok that one was really close." And then the world turned upside down.

The room was pitch dark when Slade awoke from his coma and he could tell that Oliver wasn't beside him. Looking up from the bed, Slade could see Moira trying to arouse Oliver from his nightmare and Walter was questionably staring at the ex-mercenary on the bed. Shit. Slade would have to wake Oliver before the over-concerned parent. Oliver was not very friendly when he woke up from one of those dreams. Oh. Too late. Slade watched as Oliver suddenly jerked and knocked his mother aside before quickly jabbing the woman in her throat. Right after that, Oliver realized where he was and jumped back before he could hurt his mother again, and Walter was holding back his wife from her PTSD ridden son.

"I'm sorry. I'm so. I'm so sorry." Oliver guiltily rambled.

"It's alright, sweetheart." Moira tried to comfort her son, "You're home. You're home."

Line break

After that fiasco, the group decided to go back to their respective rooms. Slade closing the window and helping Oliver into a nice warm bath before heading off to bed. He watched as Oliver walked into the room wearing only a towel. Quickly drying himself as much as he could, the lanky pup stumbled back into bed, as naked as the day he were born with the towel tossed beside the bed.

"Any idea how we can explain to your mother about me being in your bedroom?" Slade asked his partner.

"We tell them the truth." Oliver stated as he lay his moist hair onto the pillow, "I'll be lying to them a lot, so they should at least know who I plan on spending the rest of my life with."

"You know, if you just cut it shorter, your hair would be a lot easier to manage." Slade tried as he tried pet the boy, only to meet disgustingly moist hair and decided to rub his wet hand on the blanket and just stay away from his lover's wet mop. 

"I told you, I didn't want my hair turned into a buzz cut." Oliver still had nightmares of his possible future. Of the future that would have happened if he stabbed his lover in the eye instead of curing him. He saw that if he could at least keep the haircut that he had when he first met Slade, the haircut he had when he was truly happy on the island, then their happiness would stay that way. This was the reason why Oliver convinced Slade to cut his hair the same way he did before and not changing it into some longer styled hair cut like his future self did.

"I know you think I'll become some evil anti-hero in the future Oliver, but isn't the fact that I still have both eyes enough." Slade tried to convince the younger male. This obsession with the possible future had held onto Oliver as tightly as a koala held onto its. It was as healthy for the koala as it was unhealthy for Oliver.

"Maybe." Oliver grumbled. Slade was always trying to convince the blond to forget out his dream, but Oliver couldn't. Because it seemed that if he did then Oliver wouldn't be repenting enough to dream!Slade. He felt he owned the man in his dreams at least this much of repentance, so he carried on the "death" of his mother. 

line break

Underneath the bed is where Oliver and Slade both stored their keepsakes from the island. Checking to reassure themselves that they were there, the two left to Thea's room for a friendly morning talk.

Slade watched as Oliver handed his little sister the hozen. Really. Out of all the things you could give your sister, you give her the one item that Ivo pretty much wanted from us? Really!?

Just then, Tommy Merlyn entered the room "You know, I want one of those, t-shirts that says, 'one of my friends was a castaway and all I got was this crappy shirt." Next thing you know, the wizard will give me a volley ball when he finds out my last name.

"By the way, we couldn't introduce ourselves last night at dinner. Tommy Merlyn. Nice to meet you. I hear you're what kept my best friend alive on that island. Thanks." said wizard extended a hand for a shake.

It would be rude to not take it. "Slade Wilson." he grumbled out, "Ex-military, I'll be accompanying you on your quest to explore the city."

"Wilson? You don't play any volley-"

"NO." Slade grumbled out.

"No." Oliver laughed at the face his lover made at the mention of the "Castaway" movie. 

And at that Oliver took it as a cue to leave the room. "See you later sis." Oliver left the room with a smile on his face that only his best friend and lover could bring out in him.  
"Have you noticed how hot your sister's gotten?" Tommy asked his long lost best friend. He could tell that Oliver looked like he was gonna kill him, but this new guy, Slade, looked a little amused and from what he could tell at the dinner, if the man looked a "little" amused then it was actually very funny. 

Tommy knew about the scars that Oliver had, but wanted to show his friend that no matter what Oliver had gone through or what he did, that Tommy Merlyn, Oliver Queen's best friend, had his back because at the end of the line, the two weren't just friends, but brothers.

Oliver heard what his best friend had just said and frowned. In his mind his little sister was still twelve years old, and Tommy insinuating to him, how… beautiful his little sister was, was just another reminder of how much of her life he missed. Five years. That's a lot of birthdays to miss. A lot of Christmases never celebrated. He wondered how his family celebrated the holidays after he and his father had "died".

After announcing there going to be a party to celebrate Oliver's not-dead status, the three of them had drove to the abandoned steel factory in the Glades. The entrance to the factory was fenced in, and various bums were gathered around a fire-bin hoping for an essence of warmth.

"So what do you miss the most?" 

If this were the past Slade would say that he missed his wife and son, Adeline and Joey the most. However, that was until A.R.G.U.S. informed him that they were both killed when Wintergreen, his son's godfather, put up a hit on the both of them. Now Slade had nothing tying him to his past, and only Oliver to cling on to.

Oliver could say he missed a lot of things. A house. The heater. Safety. But out of all the things he thought of in his past, his biggest regret was Laurel and that was what he told Tommy.

"Everyone is happy to see you alive, but you want to see the one person who isn't?"

Oliver gave Tommy that look. Even Slade could feel guilty with that look so if a hardened ex-A.S.I.S. member couldn't resist that look, then a weak, soft, playboy couldn't say "no" for even a second.

Line break

The three of them were chatting in an alley after Oliver was completely sucker punched by the lawyer. Oliver was completely understanding in what he had done to his ex-girlfriend. After all, he did cheat on her with her sister, and then had her sister killed in a yacht accident. Maybe five years on Lian Yu wasn't enough atone for what he did to her, but maybe making this city a better place was a part of his atonement as much as his father's.

Slade was completely pissed at the bitch. What did she know about Oliver? Sure the kid had commitment issues in the past, but the Oliver he knows know is completely different. He was strong, kind, selfless, and most of all loyal. Dear god, was that that kid loyal. Slade thought back to the time on Lian Yu when the two of them were about to escape on a supply plane. They could've been off the island that much sooner, if Oliver hadn't decided to be loyal to perhaps one of the most confusing man Slade had ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Tommy was trying to blow off what Laurel had said to Oliver. He understood what Laurel was feeling, after all he did date her after Oliver's supposed "death," but the thing was his best friend was alive after going through five years of hell, and after hacking into Oliver's medical files to see pictures of how his brother was tortured, Tommy had to let things pass. And that was exactly the last thought he had when an armored car came barreling through the alley and darted him to unconscious along with Oliver and Slade.  
Amateur mistake. Slade thought as he slowly slumped against the sports car. Oliver, no. Slade watched as the red masked men took the love of his life.


	9. An Unexpected Ally

"Mr. Queen. Mr. Queen!" A man in a red mask sparked a tazer in front of Oliver. 

Oliver could feel a zip tie around his wrists behind the metal chair and felt oddly comforted. Slade had taught the man how to get out of these ties the first week they met.  
"Did your father survive that accident." Oliver could see Tommy lying face down on the ground. Was he dead? Oliver didn't know. Were these men about to die? That was a given. 

Where was Slade? Oliver looked around. The man wasn't there. Where was he! Did these people kill him? NO. That wasn't possible. Slade was a highly trained SPY! There's no way these idiots could've killed the agent. Just like there was no way for these people to capture Oliver? His subconscious betrayed him.

"I ask the questions. You give me the answers." Oliver was quickly tazed after not responding to the man's questions. He smiled. Compared to Slade, this guy had no idea how to torture someone.

"Did he make it to the island? Did he tell you anything?" Why was he asking this? If they wanted money they would just keep him locked up. No, they worked for the men in the book. If they had known about Oliver's return then they must believe that Robert had ratted them out. Which he did, but they didn't need to know that. The best kept secret is the secret nobody has been told and if you must tell someone, let it be only one other. Slade knew all of Oliver's secrets, and that was how it was going to stay.

"He told me I was going to kill you." Oliver wasn't lying either. His father did want Oliver to right his wrongs. Alright, Oliver was tired of this guy tazing him. Oliver might have had worse at the hands of his lover, but either way it was incredibly painful.

The man's laughter was almost funny to Oliver. "Your delusional, your zip-cuffed to that chair."

"Not anymore." Oliver's voice was like steel as he showed his free hands. 

Quickly, Oliver used the chair to whamo the person interrogating him. Stunning him, another man tried to shoot Oliver, but instead Oliver used the stunned interrogator as a human shield. Incapacitating the second man, Oliver chased after the third. 

Oliver had to work for the third man. Running on roof tops was much easier than the rugged terrain of Lian Yu and Oliver easily caught up with the man. Never missing a beat as Oliver was being shot at by automatic machinery, he quickly used the hanging chains to swing himself onto the attacker. They ended up with Oliver having his arm around the man's neck when the man, now without his mask, pleaded for his life. "Yes I do. Nobody can know my secret." Oliver snapped his neck. 

Line Break

Slade was just awakening on a bed. It wasn't a hospital. He didn't know where he was. The room was extremely lavish and Slade could feel the… silk bed sheets underneath his arms. Checking himself, Slade found nothing strange besides the fact that he was wearing clothes that were not his. The question here was, "Where am I?"

The door opened, revealing a tall, dark haired, white male. His suit was tailored to his size and his shoes didn't make a single sound on the dark stained wood floors. 

"Mr. Wilson."

"It seems you know my name, but I don't know yours." Slade replied, he was oddly comfortable with this situation of it happening to him too many times in his life.

Where was Oliver was he- SHIT, he was taken. By three men in red masks. Was this man the one responsible? Who is he?!

"My name is Malcolm Merlyn." Tommy's father?

"You see, my son's car has a silent alarm whenever something even close to a gunshot is fired within a short distance from it. So imagine my surprise when I find you. In that alley, with a dead person only a mere ten steps from you."

"They were taken. Oliver. And your son" Slade added on. Maybe the man was just frightened for his son?

"Oh, I know about that." What? "The kidnappers were later found, dead, in a warehouse not too far away from the alley. Oliver and Tommy were found to be just fine."

"Then why am I-"

"I've brought you here, in my home, Mr. Wilson because not even two days ago, my son's best friend was only just revived from the dead and in his revival he brings home an unknown man that obviously has some form of military experience." Malcolm started as he glided across the room to the end of the bed that Slade was sitting up in, "Tell me. Just what are your intension toward my son and his best friend?"

Not even two days back and Slade had to deal with an overprotective father? Slade smiled, it was nice to know that some else cared about Oliver besides himself. Oliver needed much more than one person to keep him out of trouble.

"I'm just a good friend of Oliver's, sir." Slade could see that the man was also trained. The suit was tailored so well that Slade couldn't see the little twitches that indicated the man's next move, but Slade was smart enough to see that the wealthy man was on guard and knew how to fight. He demanded respect the moment he had stepped into the room Slade was residing.

"Just a good friend? I'm sure we both know that isn't the truth, is that not so, Mr. Wilson?"

He caught me. Alright then, I'll give you this at least. "We're together. It's as simple as that."

"Does Moira know?"

"We planned on telling her today."

"Very well. Tell her you plan on moving out." Malcolm replied leaving the room.

"Wait. What?"

"Tell her you need some space away. I'm sure the both of you need a quiet place away from civilians who could never grasp even a glimmer of what has happened to you."

"And you do? See that glimmer?"

"Oh, I see much more than a glimmer, Mr. Wilson. I see the whole picture and I find myself wanting to at the very least make an attempt on stopping Moira from burning such a masterpiece." 

By the time Slade saw Oliver again, their two man team, turned into a plus 1. The plus one being John Diggle. Needless to say, Slade did not like the insinuation of not being able to protect the billionaire and Oliver felt the same way. He may not be able to protect himself against some things, but he had an ally named Slade Wilson. The Emerald Archer may be going against an army of corrupt politicians, but he had Deathstroke to back him up.

The two were in the abandoned factory that Robert Queen had shut down just before leaving to China. Mr. Diggle was probably very flustered at losing his charge, but then again he should've known Queen's style and not snubbed the man. 

Let it never be said that converting a steel factory into a superhero hideout was easy. In fact it took a lot of work, even for two insanely trained killers. Oliver had used a pickaxe to knock a hole into the ground and lowered their equipment into the… basement? Slade had then taken a sledge hammer to expand their working space. Using the machinery, Slade had made two long bars with many hooks on the outside to do their… chest… exercises, while Oliver used the machine to make more arrows.

The basement also needed electricity, so Slade went to work on the wiring, assembling many lamps and computers to work off of in the area. Many tables were used to hold their equipment so they wouldn't get too dirty from the rat infested floor. The both of them planned on visiting Alexi, so that he could arrange for perhaps a secret room for their area. Maybe a nightclub on the upstairs and downstairs would hold storage for the wine and alcohol as wells as extra glasses, while also containing a secret room for the hideout.

The first person Oliver wanted to take out from the list was Adam Hunt. Hunt used extortion, blackmail, and theft upon Starling City's lower class population. Anyone who went against him would be killed. Oliver planned to be the face enemy against the corrupt, Slade would stay in the background as Oliver's backup in case the need ever arised.  
That night two of Adam Hunt's bodyguards were sent to the hospital and Adam Hunt was given a warning to send forty million dollars into Starling City's bank account bank account 1141 by ten o'clock the next night.


	10. Hamlet with a Second Twist

An hour after the two had returned back to Queen mansion, it was an hour before the party should begin. Slade had told Oliver about Malcolm Merlyn picking him up in the alley way. At first, Oliver didn't believe it, but after hearing Slade describe the room he was in and realizing that Slade would never lie to him, Oliver relented in the interrogation of his lover.

"I'll think about his offer." Oliver commented to the Aussie. 

What kind of man was Malcolm Merlyn? It seemed that he wasn't the kind of man to be picking up random men in alleyways, but now it seems as if the man is highly trained and may be able to assist Oliver in his endeavors 

Diggle had forced the two to get into the car, not allowing them to perform their disappearing act by taking a backseat.

"I call side seat." Both alpha males had called for the seat away from the nuisance. In the end, Slade couldn't go against the puppy eyes and sat in the middle seat bump. Cursing throughout the whole ride, Oliver could tell that Slade was going to ride his ass the next chance he could.

Insane. That was how the welcome home party could be described as. The noise was obnoxious and overbearing, but both Slade and Oliver had to bear it. Tommy had gone up to the two and handed them both a shot of tequila. Slade didn't drink after the island when he figured out that the dreams he had while drunk could never be escaped from. Slade would rather spend a sleepless night awake than a restless one trapped in his nightmares. Unfortunately, Oliver believed that his dreams were a sign of what things could have been if Slade were to have "died" on Lian Yu, he believes that these dreams were a repentance and happily accepted them. He took the tequila after Slade's absence.

Quietly leaving the party after Slade had lifted drugs of Thea's person and throwing it into the trash where it belonged, Slade took Thea to a person who would take her home. She may not respect her brother, and Oliver may take a hands off approach to his little sister, but Slade had no reservations on a little tough love. That was the way he approached the arrogant playboy when he had first arrived on Lian Yu and that was the way he would approach said playboy's reckless sister as well  
.  
Oliver had tried to leave the party; however, Diggle had followed the man and nearly stopped Oliver from going after Adam Hunt. A skirmish with Slade Wilson changed Mr. Diggle's mind.

That night Adam Hunt's office was attacked by The Hood. Many people died, mostly by friendly fire and The Hood escaped just in time through breaking through a window and using the rope to glide down back to the party. Mr. Diggle was taking a little… nap in a closet and Slade spent the rest of his night in the men's bathroom allegedly making out with Oliver Queen.

The SWAT team had quickly entered the party building, stopping the music and bringing a miffed Oliver out into the open along with his partner Slade, who's hair looked as if someone had run their hand over it multiple times, like a lover would if they were… doing illicit activities. 

"Search the building. Roof to basement. Find him!" Detective Lance barked out orders to the SWAT team as he marched right to Tommy Merlyn, Oliver Queen, and the mysterious man from the island.

"Roofie anybody tonight, Mr. Merlyn." It wasn't a question that Detective Lance said to the man. Oliver was surprised, he expected the detective to be furious with him, but he never expected the detective to extend his hatred to Tommy. 

"Detective! It's a private party." Oliver said, a goofy smile on his face as he were just having sex. Slade's face looking very similar, although it would've been impossible for him to have had sex with the Emerald Archer between the time it took for the man to change out of costume, including green paint grease and hairspray, and the time it took to swing down to the building.

"Well there was an incident at Adam Hunt's building. You know anything about that?"

"Who's Adam Hunt?" Oliver was at a deserted island for five years, how should he know? 

"He's a millionaire bottom feeder, and I'm kind of surprised you don't know him." retorted the detective.

Slade bristled at this accusation. Oliver was a pure and kind person. Never hurting the defenseless. Slade knew that Oliver had a rather bad past, but the Oliver Queen standing in front of everyone was the same Oliver Queen that saved Slade's life over three times already, and Slade wouldn't let anybody refute that.

"Hey, bub." Slade put himself between his lover and the hostile detective, "Wanna back away from the kid?"

"What you got yourself a bodyguard now, Queen?" Detective Lance hated this boy. This was the boy that ruined his family. Cheated on his oldest daughter with his youngest and then got Sara, his little girl killed! This man deserved to die. Spend a hell of a lot more than five years on the island.

"No." Slade had enough of this man, "He got himself a lover."

What?

"Now if you'll excuse us, we're going to be going back to that party and pash all night." Slade took his lover through the crowd, and into a backroom, leaving the detective, his partner, the SWAT team, Tommy Merlyn, and a whole crowd of people to their own thoughts of former straight playboy Oliver Queen being gay for the tall, dark, ex-military man with an Australian accent.

line break

The backrooms in the club building weren't very posh, but they had a sofa for the two to sit on and pash, so that was enough for the irritated Deathstroke and Archer.

"It's been way too long since we've done this." Slade said as he quickly undressed Oliver for maybe the fifth time that day.

"Pash, really?" Oliver teased as he fumbled with his zipper.

"Just slipped really."

Slade looked at Oliver's chest, arms, and hands seeing the many scratches from the glass. "Maybe you can get some compo?"

"Not working silly." Oliver said as he kissed his lover, "How long do you thing we have until my mother finds out about the both of us?" 

"Well it's not going to be the back of Bourke, that's for sure." Slade grouped his angel's well formed arse.

"What does that even mean?" Oliver would never become accustomed to his lover's home slang.

"It means she'll probably hear about us by the time we get back to your place." Slade said, already accustomed to Oliver not understanding the his small idioms.  
"Well, we can deal with her tomorrow?" Oliver was doing a slow strip tease with the rest of clothes he had on left.

"Yeah." Slade ogled at the boy's body. Every scar, every tattoo, and every defined inch of muscle Slade loved about Oliver. The scars were not to be pitied upon, but admired. They told the story of Oliver's loyalty to Yao Fei. The tattoo's spoke of the loyalty Oliver had gained from others, as well as stories of Slade's betrayal. "I'm sure she can handle not seeing us for the night.

Line Break

It was past noon when the two had returned to Queen mansion and Oliver had just officially come out of the closet to his family.

Moira was beyond livid. How could her son be gay. He was to be the heir of Queen's Consolidated. He would need to have children to pass down the family line! This was the final line for Moira. Either Slade Wilson goes, or Oliver has to leave. She would leave him an ample amount of money, if only because he was her son, but that was all that she would give the boy if he were to choose that, that, that barbarian over his family. 

Walter Steele wasn't that surprised really. Anybody who went out with that many girls was obviously hiding something. Besides, Walter had made good friends with Slade. He could tell that Slade was a good man, just trying to be the best he could be for Oliver Queen, his best friend's son. That was enough for Walter.

Thea couldn't believe this! Her older brother was gay! This might be the best thing ever. Now they could ogle at men when they went to the mall together! Wait, Oliver was dating that hunky Slade guy… Thea was sure Slade wouldn't mind. He was a pretty cool guy. Nobody had really looked after her after Oliver and her father had died. Well, now it was just her father. Moira was too scared to use the law against Thea, Walter couldn't be her father, he was more of an uncle, Oliver couldn't be the older brother he used to be before the incident and Thea was fine with that. She had changed. Everything at home had changed, so she didn't expect for her older brother to be more understanding. Slade was different. He wasn't afraid of giving her some tough love and after five years of having a laissez faire as the law of the house, she missed having someone actually guiding her away from what she had become. 

Line break

Oliver and Slade took a look at the Merlyn mansion. It actually looked a little bigger than Queen mansion. Tommy opened the front door in surprise at seeing his best friend and lover at his home, unannounced.

"Hey." Oliver smiled at his best friend, "Can we have a talk?"

This was gonna be good. Slade wondered how his angel would convince the wizard to allow them into his home.

Tommy gestured for the couple to enter the home's living room. Sitting in the fancy sofa, Slade never felt more out of place. "So, what's the problem?"

"The problem Tommy, is the fact that my mother is this close to disowning me." There wasn't a space between his fingers.

"Because you're gay?" Tommy didn't think it was that big of a deal. I mean, after coming back from the dead, you'd think the woman would let him rebound? 

"Your mother plans to what?!" Malcolm Merlyn entered his living room to see two men he views as his sons chatting along with the trained soldier. Actually, Oliver was sitting… on top of the soldier.

"Yeah, she found out I was dating Slade." Oliver tested the waters with the mysterious man.

"And so the grand wizard arrives." Slade mumbled as he pushed his face into the back of Oliver's fluffy head.

"Wizard?" Tommy asked.

"Yeah, it's what Slade's been calling you ever since I told him about you guys on the island." Oliver explained to both men.

" I prefer the term, 'magician'." Malcolm quipped back at the young man, "How about the two of you stay here for awhile?"

"Really?" Oliver asked the man. He knew this is what he wanted in the beginning, but Oliver wondered why the man thought that Moira would hurt him.

"Of course, Oliver. I owe you many things due to your disappearance." Malcolm smiled at the young man that was obviously in love.

"I do?" Oliver was confused, what did he do that made Malcolm Merlyn owe him a favor?

"Indeed Oliver," Malcolm toke a seat across from the couple, but next to his son, "It was because of your disappearance that allowed me to bridge the gap between Tommy and I."

"It did?"

"Indeed."

"Yeah, Ollie. You could say that your death made my father realize the error in his ways, so he apologized." 

"No son, I realized how mortal you were and I knew how prideful you were back then, so I made a decision." Malcolm tried to not show too much emotion in front of company. 

"Sure dad." Tommy knew it was just a façade. 

After Oliver's death, Malcolm showed Tommy the final message his mother gave to his father. A final message of how his mother was left in an alley to die with people just walking past her. Not helping her as she bled out on the cold and unforgiving pavement. After that, Malcolm showed Tommy his plan, but then Tommy convinced his father not to go through with the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people. In the end, Malcolm relented in his plot, but instead Moira took up the torch of destruction and since then Malcolm has been trying to end Moira's reign of terror.

AN: Bet you didn't expect that didn't you?


	11. Unexpected Enemies

So now instead of living in his childhood home, Oliver lived with Tommy. His brother in all but blood. At the moment, Tommy had to leave the house to attend to some business with Laurel. The next day, Oliver would have to go to court to legally revive himself and he wouldn't be counting on the family lawyer to be with him.

Oliver thought back to how he told his mother about Slade.

"Mom. I'm gay." Oliver said immediately after returning from his tryst at night with Slade. 

"What! Oliver this can't be! I forbid it! You must marry someone who can give you an heir. Queens Consolidated needs a person to be next in line. After you disappeared, the company's stocks plummeted." Moira tried to reason with her son, "The only reason your saying this is because of this, this, this barbarian and it's time you realize that."

There were many reactions to that. The first thing could anyone could see was Walter's livid face. He never thought for his wife to be homophobic, and it truly changed the way he thought of this woman. And to use, breeding as a reason for Oliver to be straight? There were a lot of ways for men to have children these days. Especially with the money the boy had at his finger tips, Oliver could adopt a child from Russia if he wanted to!

Thea thought her mother was crazy! Being gay was nothing to be ashamed about. Shouldn't she be happy that her son is in love with someone? Thea knew her mother went a little crazy at the death of her first husband, but shouldn't she give the rest of her love to Oliver?

Oliver didn't expect this. He expected his mother to except him for all that he was, and he wasn't getting that. Both Walter and Thea seemed to understand Oliver's choices. He listened on as Moira ranted on disowning her son and leaving him a paltry sum if he did leave with Slade. Seriously? You are making me choose, between the love of my life and you? Well that was an easy choice. So Oliver went back into the Bentley, Digg driving the car and Slade sitting by his side in the back seat. "Merlyn mansion, please Digg."  
And that's how Slade and Oliver came to live with Tommy and Malcolm Merlyn. 

"So I would assume that you are quite confused at the circumstances."

"Wanna' explain yourself, Mr. Malcolm?" Oliver asked the man. 

"…" Malcolm Merlyn glared at the man, "follow me."

Mr. Merlyn brought the two men into his private office and motioned for the two to sit in the two seats in front of his desk. Opening a drawer, the man pulled out an MP3 player and played it. "In 1992, both you and Tommy were very young."

"That was the year your-"

"It was the year, my wife was murdered in the Glades, Yes Mr. Queen." Mr. Malcolm started, "In the very last moments of my wife's life, she called me. That day I was very busy, and she knew I was busy, so I just declined the call. The next moment she called again. After that I turned off my cell. She left me a voice message."

It was the voice of a woman, Oliver was much too familiar of. Any person could tell that her life was draining away as she spoke to the man she loved. 

"Malcolm, I'm in trouble. I told-- I told him to take everything. My money… My ring. They shot me. I screamed for help. But no one would come. Malcolm, I don't want to die alone. Why won't you pick up? Please. I don't want to be alone. Don't leave me alone."

"I woke up to her dying voice." Malcolm said, "From then on, I formed a group. Dedicated to cleaning up the Glades. Of course we tried to bring down every corrupt politician. Every person that gained from the Glade's suffering, we tried to bring to the police."

"Who is this, 'we'?" Slade asked although he had a pretty good idea at what was happening.

"Your father, Robert Queen." Mr. Merlyn started, "It wasn't enough. We started a group of similar people who had lost others to the Glades. Your mother was also part of it, including many others. I came up with the insane idea of leveling the Glades."

"Leveling the Glades! So that's the reason my father died? He tried to go against you, but then you sabotaged the Queen's Gambit!" Oliver was pissed, this was the man that sentenced him to Lian Yu. The man that caused his father's death!

"No." Malcolm calmly said as he knew this is what Oliver would jump to, "By the time you were 22, it had been ten years since Rebecca's death. I realized that she would never want me to commit mass murder in her name. I wanted to end things. So I talked to your father and he agreed with me. Your mother, not so much."

"What? You think my mother would want to- SHE'S NEVER EVEN BEEN TO THE GLADES!"

"She once visited the Glades. Many times, with your father to visit the steel factory. It was in one of those nights, when she traveled alone, when she was shot." Malcolm needed Oliver to understand, "She was with child at the time. It would've been your younger sibling, but also Thea's older brother or sister. She lost the child, Oliver. I may have lost my wife, but she lost her baby. And a parent would do anything for a child of theirs, correct?"

"So what? She discovered the plan you and my father made about no longer leveling the Glades, and what killed my father?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn, Oliver. And she plans to kill thousands of people as revenge."

By then, Oliver was standing in fury. How could this, this man tell him such things about his mother? Robert told Oliver to avenge for his sins. Was it because he realized that his wife had murdered him? That he realized that Malcolm wouldn't go through with the plan once Robert had died? Oliver needed to leave. Now. "I need some air." And now there were two.

Slade watched as Oliver left the room. "So what, you want us to help you stop Moira from leveling the Glades?"

"No." Malcolm replied to the man, "I need you to stop Moira from starting a biological attack on the Glades."

"Bio-" Slade's eyes widened. He understood that if it were some kind of earthquake generator it could at least be covered up as a natural disaster, but if it were a biological attack then the blame would have to be taken up by someone.

"She plans on blaming Merlyn Global Group. As everyone who reads a paper knows, we've been one of the government's main supplier for weapons, and this includes the ones of a biological nature." Malcolm was furious at how the woman had him by the balls. Malcolm Merlyn was trained by Ra's al Ghul, himself and he was brought to his knees by a woman who can't even throw a punch.

"I need you to break into both Merlyn Global Group and Queen's Consolidated, hack into both companies, and steal Moira's plans for her mass homicide as well as burn MGG's biological weapons laboratory so that she may never get her hands on them. After that you can hand over Moira's files to the police and Moira will go to jail for what she has done and what she plans to do. "

"You want me to break into your own company?"

"Precisely. I would do it myself, but there are some… complications that prevent me from stopping this by myself."

"Why ask me?" Slade asked the man. The magician had billions of dollars on and off the books. How hard could it be to hire someone to kill Moira and end things here and there.

"I cannot kill the woman of my child, Mr. Wilson." Malcolm presented the last of his cards, "Thea has already lost one father, she doesn't need to see her mother die as well."

"You're Thea's-? How is that-?" Slade would shut up now. 

"It was a moment of weakness, soon after Rebecca had died, I sought comfort with my friend's wife and here we are." Malcolm smiled on the inside, after dropping that he won't ask about my fighting capabilities.

Slade was… unnerved to say the least. Wait a second, then that meant Tommy and Thea were siblings. And Tommy just earlier confessed to thinking Thea had grown into a beauty. Nasty. Did he touch her in the five years that Oliver was gone? Maybe Thea sought comfort in her older brother's best friend. Tommy also said that at the funeral , the women were like fish in a barrel. Thea was also… please let it not be true. 

"I will have to tell Oliver when he returns." Slade told the man.

"Of course." Malcolm replied. He would never think to causing secrets between the couple, especially not after all that Oliver had done to the father. After today, he would owe the couple even more, but he was fine with that, because there wasn't a problem with family doing favors for one another. 

AN: Alright, I admit to really liking it when bad guys turn out to be good.


	12. R & R

The court house was quite beautiful. It was white and clean with marble staircases and floors. Entering the courthouse was a fiasco by itself, with dozens of reporters asking about his time on the island.

"There was a storm the boat went down, I was the only survivor. My father didn't make it. I thought I had died because I had spent so many days on that life raft before I had found the island." Oliver finished his statement and then the lawyer finished the rest.

After the courtroom the group consisting of Tommy, Slade, and Mr. Malcolm left together only to run into Laurel Lance.

"What are you doing here."

"Oh they were, bringing be back from the dead, legally speaking."

Laurel was still angry at the man for what he had done to her sister, "Oliver just got back from five years on an uncharted island, before that, he was cheating on me with my sister. He was with her when she died, and last week, he told me to stay away from him. Best advice he ever gave."

And at that, Laurel's posse left. "C'mon man, shake it off. Let's go."

"If you'd excuse, me boys." Mr. Malcolm straightened off his tie, "I have to leave for an event."

Oliver left the court house with Tommy and Slade by his side only to see a crowd of reporters ambush him after leaving Martin Somers. John Diggle escorted him to the car pushing away stupid reporters. It was only after Slade had gotten in the car with Oliver was the door closed and with that happening, the body guard and brother of Oliver Queen were left with the reporters as the Bentley sped away.

"This happens to you a lot, doesn't it?"

Line Break

Oliver and Slade returned to the foundry. The list contained their next target. Martin Somers.

By the time he knew it, Martin was dangling upside down as the Hood was threatening him to testify.

Line Break

"I hired you to protect my son. Now answer me if I'm wrong, but I'd think the first requirement would be to stay next to the man you're required to protect."

John still didn't get why the woman still had him protecting Oliver, if she had disowned the boy. But a job's a job and Digg still had bills to pay. 

Line Break 

"Well I owe you an apology, Mr. Somers. We come out all the way to the docks and it turns out, you don't need the police after all." Detective Lance was twirling the long and sharp arrow in his hands.

"Which is exactly what I've been saying." Martin still had the deep scratch mark on his face that the Hood Guy had left on him the other day.

"So I guess that 911 call was just a practical joke."

"These guys like to fool around."

"Well you see, there's this vigilante running around." Lance was pissed, "He thinks he's some kind of Robin Hood. He's robbing the rich, he's trying to teach them a lesson I guess. I don't know, but the point is that the man's a killer and no one is going to stop me from bringing him down." The detective put the arrow into the desk. 

Line Break

After the morning fiasco, Oliver just wanted to spend the rest of the day with Slade. It seemed that ever since being rescued from the island, the two have yet to really have a moment in the day to enjoy society's delights. On the island they had all the time to lay down beneath the stars and reminisce about the better times. With Ivo and Fyers gone from the island and Anatoli hunting for food, the two men had time to fool around in the waters. Bathing underneath a waterfall and fooling around was a common pass time for the two.

"Let's go to an amusement park." Oliver told the driver.

"Really? You want to be strapped down to a seat going seventy miles per hour?"

"You make like your swords Slade, but I like my roller coasters." Oliver smiled at the love of his life, "I know that we both dreamed of many similar things, Slade."

"Oh? And just what kinds of dreams were those, Mr. Queen." Slade got a lecherous look on his face.

"I made a promise to myself on that island, Slade. I promised that if I ever did it again, it'd be with you."

Slade got confused. Do what? Drugs?

"Ice-cream."   
Slade paused at that and replied in Mandarin to keep the driver from becoming too flustered. "Your right. We did dream the same thing. However I don't think that your dreams included you, tied on to a real bed, with me licking up some of that cream from those perky nubs on your chest."

"Are you sure about that, Mr. Wilson." Oliver teased the man in the same language and licked his neck. Rubbing his left cheek on the man's stubble and occasionally biting the man's earlobe after climbing on the man's lap, in the Bentley

After a fifteen minute make out session in the back seat with their driver becoming increasingly flustered. Some things transcended even language and the driver could tell that the two were exchanging leud words of love-making. Finally, the driver had arrived at Starling City's amusement park. 

"Here we are, sir." The driver announced just as the elder Australian man had slipped his hand into the back of Mr. Queen's pants.

At that announcement, the mood was broken and the two saw the large amusement park. It's sign put out large in green font, roller coasters could be seen in the back with many loops and screams of happiness. "Let's go have some fun, Slade." Oliver kissed the older man's cheek before rushing out of the car to pay for two tickets.

Slade walked slowly behind Oliver after telling the driver to go back home. They'd find a way back home, Slade was sure. By the time Oliver and Slade had entered the park, it was noon so the two decided to wait in line instead of eating lunch at one of the park restaurants like the others would. Unfortunately, this is what dozens of others were also doing so it would still be a long wait in line. Fortunately, a cart was selling snacks just outside of the line, so while Slade went to get a spot Oliver would buy some snacks.

Fifteen Minutes had passed since Oliver had gone to get some treats, and Slade was getting worried. People also stared at the lone forty year old Australian that was standing in line by himself. Slade looked very suspicious in his usual BDU outfit combined with his keffiyeh and combat boots. How long did it take the kid to buy drinks and chips? Slade thought, right when he felt a sudden chill on his stubbled cheek. Oliver had held a cold can of coke to the Aussie's face. 

"I know it wasn't how we thought we'd eat ice-cream together, but it has been five years since either of us have eaten it." Oliver had a small jar of Nestle's Dibs in his hand.  
"We can always try it with chocolate strawberries." Slade murmured as he drank his coke.

"Always the romantic." Oliver giggled as he ate the cool pieces of ice-cream, licking the melted chocolate from his fingers in a very suggestive manner. 

The couple's position in the line eventually moved into the front, so before entering the seat, Slade went off to throw away their trash. The roller coaster the two were about to ride would be ten whole minutes of neck breaking speed and looping upside down. It was even said that the ride would stop mid-way through a loop, so that the riders would hang upside down for a moment of the ride. By the time the ride had finished, the two were giggling as they left their seats with their hair disheveled and their laughter unstoppable. 

For the most part the experience was very enjoyable. However, at some moments of public affections the two would receive glares from particularly homophobic parents. They would whisper behind their backs, but knowing that the couple could still hear them, the individuals would still outrage on how gay couples were allowed in a children's amusement park. They'd outrage on how Slade was so much older than Oliver, and they must not have known who Oliver was when they called Slade Oliver's sugar daddy…  
The two enjoyed themselves for the rest of the day, ignoring the hateful individuals, until it started to rain. Slade being the proud owner of a keffiyeh quickly used it to cover his head, leaving his younger lover in the downpour. "Laugh it up, Slade. I'm not the one using a scarf as a head cover."

"It's not a scarf. It's a keffiyeh." Slade grumbled as he knew that Oliver continuously mocked the older man's signature article of clothing, "and I'm not the one soaked to the bone."  
Oliver didn't have an answer to that so instead he called a taxi to the exit of the amusement park so that the two could return home, to Merlyn Mansion.


	13. Unexpected Consequences

Oliver expected to have a nice night off from running around Starling city. One night wouldn't hurt anyone, would it? And of course, Oliver had to be proven wrong because when he and his partner entered the dark mansion, they found Tommy drunk off his ass in the living room.

"Tommy? Is something wrong." There was a tension in the room that Oliver couldn't make a sense of.

"Laurel's in a coma." Tommy skipped pouring his drink in a glass, and optioned to just drink straight out of the bottle.

"What?" Oliver couldn't believe this, he had just seen her this morning!

Slade wasn't that surprised, with the young girl going after powerful men, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

"They broke into her apartment earlier tonight after killing the two policemen stationed at her house. From witness statements, there were two or three armed men and some white haired Asian woman." Tommy told the pair as he completely ruined their night of R&R, "It looked like she was eating a tub of ice-cream when they got her. The doctors don't know when she'll wake up, if she ever will."

Oliver felt guilty. If he hadn't been together with Slade, then Oliver imagined that he would be having his first bite of ice-cream with Laurel tonight, and if he was with her, then he could've killed the mercenaries before they could even lay a hand of her. Who knew, Diggle might have come in and all Oliver would've had to have done was stand around and look pretty?

"What about Lance? Laurel's dad?" Oliver needed to know how the detective was doing. He had already lost one daughter because of the billionaire, and now he just might lose another.

"He's… well, he's furious as you can imagine. I'd think that Martin Somers is on his kill list."

It was then, that Oliver decided to spend this night going after Somers. He thought he had time to spend with his lover, and look where that got the man? Laurel Lance was sent into a coma, while Oliver was in an amusement park, with the man he loved. When was she attacked? Was it when they were waiting in line? When they were eating fried chicken in one of the park's restaurants? Or was it when the two were teasing each other in public as they walked to the next ride they wanted to enjoy? Either way, it was time to get to work. 

Line Break

Martin Somers' was in his warehouse packing files in his briefcase in preparation of running away from the Chinese Triad. The Hood had no plans on letting the man live. Before that night, Oliver had only planned on taping a confession, but tonight The Hood was going to kill him.

Slade, as usual, was hiding in the rafters above, watching if Oliver needed any help before engaging anyone. For now, the two planned on tricking the police into thinking The Hood was a solo act, so Deathstroke would remain unknown. 

Oliver was taking heavy gunfire, but even then he took out all shooters with calm precision. Not even being phased and never missing a step as he shot an arrow at Somers. Shooting arrows against the man as they embedded behind him, into a crate Oliver shot arrows above the man's head, shoulder, and even just beneath his privates.  
"I want the truth about Victor Nocenti and Laurel Lance."

"I can't, the Triad will kill me."

"They're not your concern right now." Either way, he's a dead man.

"All right, alright, alright." The man stuttered, "It wasn't me that killed him. It was the Triad."

"Acting on whose instructions?! WHOSE?"

"Ok, ok, ok." Somers was so afraid, he felt as if he were going to loosen his bladder at any moment, "I told them to kill him. Nocenti was going to testify. I told them to go after the girl, 'cause she was getting too close!" He didn't want to die.

Oliver got his answers and with that, Somers died from an arrow through the chest. At the moment, Somers died, a white haired Asian appeared behind him. Fighting off a woman with a bow wasn't as easy as most would think, especially when the police appeared just then. The two separated, and Oliver ran with Lance going after him.

"Twitch your dead." Lance ordered the man. All of a sudden, Lance had an arrow thrown at him and the vigilante disappeared. 

Pressing a button on the arrow, Lance heard Somers' confession. Unfortunately, it was mute point now that the man was dead. Even still he was happy, but his daughter was still in a coma. The last words between them being a stupid argument. 

Flashback:

"You're getting around the clock protection, get used to their faces, no arguments."

"Well I make a living of arguing. I seem to recall you trying this once I discovered boys also. Didn't work then either." And she was right. 

"This isn't a joke Laurel, Somers got attacked last night. You have whipped up a storm with these guys, and until the dust settles, you'll be protected, okay? End of discussion." Lance walked away.

"It might have worked when I was eight, but it's not gonna work anymore." Didn't she understand? He just wants some police officers to follow her around. They won't interfere with her work or anything like that! I am giving her protection! She's going after organized crime bosses and she things she can protect herself with a shotgun in a closet? He'll hire trained killers to go after his daughter! 

"End of Discussion, Laurel! You're doing your job? That's great. But this is me doing my job, and not just as a father, but as a cop. These people are more dangerous than you are willing to admit. And you've made them angry." He was done with her. 

Why didn't he give her more protection?

Line Break

Oliver had made it back to the steel factory, with Slade in tow. Slipping off his quiver and placing his bow onto the steel tables, Oliver never felt more weak.

"Didn't help, did it kid?" Slade asked the boy as he removed his metallic mask and hugged the boy from behind. Slade watched the kid's back the moment Tommy told the both of them about Laurel being in a coma, and never before, since Sara Lance's death did he see Oliver look so… guilty… so hurt… and ashamed. 

"No." Oliver pulled the hood off his face and kissed the other man, "It didn't."

"How about, tomorrow we pay a hospital visit?" Slade asked his lover, "Spend a few hours with her. Like normal people would do for their ex-girlfriends."

"Okay. And later that night we can go after James Holder."

"The guy who put defective smoke detectors in the Glades."

"Exactly that man."

It was late, when the two returned to Merlyn Mansion. They opened the door to Tommy passed out drunk on a sofa, and his father cleaning up the bottles of booze. "You boys, are back pretty late? Did you just come back or what?"

"We came earlier after going to an amusement park."

"Amusement… park?" Malcolm Merlyn, student of Ra's al Ghul and Al Sa-Her didn't expect the two to go to an amusement park after the billionaire being revived from the dead, but he shouldn't be seeing as the two should enjoy life's pleasures now that they were back in normal civilization.

"Yeah, and then Tommy told us about Laurel so we hit a few bars."

"I see." Malcolm didn't smell any alcohol on them, but let it past. It's not like Oliver was going out at night, beating criminals. 

"I'll help your boy to his room, magician." Slade had already secured Tommy over his shoulder.

"Thank you." Malcolm came home to Tommy getting stark drunk on thousand bottle brands of brandy, and although Malcolm was a rich man, he didn't think drinking such expensive liquor that should be savored is very… health to his son. Luckily enough, Tommy had only drunk half of the bottle and Malcolm was able to switch that bottle with a cheaper substitute. 

After dumping Tommy's unconscious body on the bed and throwing a blanket over the boy, Slade made his way to the room that both he and Oliver were currently sharing.  
It was a large room of simplicity. There was a large wooden king sized bed accompanied with two side dressers and a mirror to the side of the room in the middle of two large windows. It didn't hold to the complicated mess that was what Oliver had been given. The sheets to the bed were regular cotton compared to the too soft, silk sheets adorned in every bedroom of Queen Mansion. Overall, it required much less maintenance, than the room they previously shared and the two weren't expected to sleep in different rooms either.

Entering the room, the man sensed Oliver in the shower. Their bags and luggage were properly stored earlier that day so all Slade had to do was grab a pair of boxers, finish his nightly routine, and head off to bed with Oliver. The two had an exciting day that ended with a bad note, so Slade had no plans on eating some chocolate covered Oliver.


	14. Needed Assistance

Oliver watched James Holder from a higher rooftop. The man seemed perfectly relaxed in his robes as he was talking to his assistant. He looked like he was going to take a quick swim too. That thousand bottle wine in his hand annoyed the archer. This man's killed hundreds of people in the Glades, and Holder was going to be enjoying the life of luxury? Not tonight.

Oliver felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction when he hit the bottle with his arrow, causing the glass to fall into the pool. Won't be swimming in there, anytime soon.   
"I have armed security inside, all I have to do is call out."

"Go ahead." Oliver stated in with his voice modifier. Slade should have taken out all the guards by now anyway.

"What the hell do you want?"

"How many people died in those fires?" How many people has Oliver killed since he came back from the island? It was already too many to count. 

"The courts say you don't owe those people anything, I disagree." Oliver wanted this man to pay for what he did. To die for the many innocent deaths he caused, but killing this man wouldn't change anything. No. Better to make the man fork over his wealth to the people he took it from.

It was right when the man was about to say something when he was shot from a sniper. Oliver quickly fired off an arrow in the direction of the shooter. A quick shoot out between arrow and gun occurred before Oliver retreated.

Line Break

Oliver was sitting in his crappy swivel chair while Slade was stitching the wound on his shoulder. "So this would be your first stitch after being, "The Hood" eh?" Slade goaded the young man.

"Shut up." Oliver knew Slade could've easily dodged all the bullets. He could never beat the older male at anything. 

"So it's no surprise Holder had another guy gunning for him, but you have to admit that the shot the sniper took was great. It must've been at least 700 meters, judging by the nearest rooftop."

Oliver could feel a bit nauseous from Slade admiring the kill shot. The man was looking at the crime scene photos they "borrowed" from SPD. Standing up to test his balance, Oliver quickly stumbled into a nearby desk, rattling a few arrows on the stand. "Oliver?" Slade slowly looked over at his bruised lover and saw him barely standing over a desk, "Oliver!"

"Poison." Oliver quickly made his way to his box and grabbed a few leaves along with a water bottle. Chewing the leaves to release its juices into his system and drinking the water, Oliver would've fallen to the floor as he knelt if Slade hadn't eased his landing. 

Line Break

By the time Oliver and Slade made it back to Merlyn manor, John Diggle was awaiting them. Apparently, even though Moira disowned the blonde man, she still insisted upon keeping Digg with him.

"Your sister got caught breaking into the mall." Digg casually pointed out to the wasted man, "lit up the breathalyzer like a Christmas tree."

To John Diggle, ex-army, Oliver didn't seem like much. Sure the obnoxious playboy survived on a random island for five years, but it seemed that the man didn't change at all. He still drank like a frat boy, and although he wasn't banging a different girl every other day, he was certainly getting some action by the look on his face and the look of concern on the Aussie.

He didn't know how to take in the Australian man. At first, the man seemed strict with his military background, but now it seemed as if the gruff man followed the blonde idiot like a duckling to its mother. Never mind the fact that both of the two spent their days together 24/7, it seemed weird that Slade always seemed to watch Oliver with such intensity. It was as if the man were looking for any kind of potential target. Like a guardian.

Line Break

"You got yourself arrested?" Oliver had asked Diggle to drive to Queen mansion when he had heard that his sister had been arrested for larceny.

He entered his old home through the front doors since he never returned his keys and heard his mother and sister talking.

"Thank you officers, my wife and I appreciate it." Walter was there trying to console the two officers. One seemed to be a young rookie, while the other looked experienced with his white hair under his cap.

"Last time it was public intoxication. This time breaking and entering. My, how we are moving up in the criminal world." Why would his sister even need to break into a store if she had all the money she could want?

"You know, when you pay off the store owner, you should check out the merchandise." So mom is still doing it.

"Thea, go get ready for school." Mom looked just about done.

"Uh, you know, I was thinking of taking a sick day." oh no. don't do it mom. Don't cave in.

"Fine then get some sleep." Damn. Seriously? This didn't work so well with me, but you're doing it with your daughter too.

"You're letting her play hooky?"

"When your sister gets like this, it's best to give her space." Yeah, you gave me five years of space.

"She's testing you."

"I wonder where she gets that from."

"Mom. When I was her age you and dad let me get away with murder. Looking back, I could have used less space and more parenting." Can you not make the same mistakes twice?

Line Break

This time Oliver decided to show the group his soon-to-be-club. The group, consisting of Tommy, Oliver, John, and of course Slade. "So what do you think?" Oliver opened the doors to the steel factory to reveal, rusty metalwork, dirt, rat droppings, and water damage. Tommy was not impressed.

"Private office." Oliver pointed at the back. Maybe I could sell it to him?

"For some, one-on-one meetings?" Slade coughed at that

"Sorry, are you sure you want to do this." Tommy asked the two lovers. It's not like you have any experience in running, well, running everything. How about we check out the competition? There's a new club called Poison. Fuller's running the place."

"Max Fuller?" Oliver asked the playboy, "I slept with his wife."

"But that was before the wedding."

"It was at the rehearsal dinner."

"The rehearsal dinner is technically before the wedding." Tommy smiled.

Oliver didn't find it so funny. He slept with the man's wife and caused her to de-evolve into a psychotic break, eventually leaving her institutionalized…

"Not a funny event." Oliver stated.

"Oh…. yeah…" Tommy seemed to remember the events that happened to the woman, "Best not go there then?"

"Yup."

"Oh, yeah. This reminds me, I've gotta roll. Anyway, I'll see you later buddy. Good place." Tommy left leaving John with the Aussie and blonde.

"So… What do you think?" Oliver asked the man, "speak freely please."

"Well, this is the Glades. Your rich white friends wouldn't come to this neighborhood on a bet."

"But, I'm Oliver Queen. People would spend three hours in line to get into my club."

"And not one of the people here would see a penny of those charges." Diggle pointed out.

"So we make it a successful business and gentrify the neighborhood."

"I was wondering when we would get to that." Diggle had a smug look on his face, "The white knight swooping in to save the disenfranchised? And all by his lonesome with no help from anybody."

"You don't think very much of me do you?" 

I know exactly how perceptive you are. Diggle thought as he left.

"Perfect cover for our nights out right?" Oliver smiled at Slade. 

The blonde moved closer to the tanned Aussie, cupping the man as he spoke, "wanna help me look for some more bullets?"

"Damn tease." Slade murmured into his blonde's ear, "I should teach you a lesson."

"That so?" Oliver shivered from the man's rough beard scraped Oliver's tender skin behind his ear.

Slade smirked as the kid became putty in his arms, "Gotta find that bullet, while there's light out, right?"

Slade left Oliver, not looking back at the pup's gob smacked look.

Line Break

It was later that day when Oliver discovered that the bullet was laced with curare. The mercenary known for using it was known as Deadshot, and he seemed to connected to the Russian mafia. Oliver always had great luck.

The two made themselves into a Russian auto shop. Two men were working on a car that was lifted from the ground.

"I'm looking for Alexi Leonov." Slade said in Russian.

The bald man spoke in return, "There's no one here by that name."

"Not in your garage, in the basement beneath." The other man, a tall muscular sort pulled out a gun to Oliver, but not before Slade wrenched the gun from the man's hands and dislocated his arm, while also disassembling the gun.

"I want to see Alexi Leonov." Oliver spoke again while pulling down the corner of his shirt, "I am bratva."

"Pleased to meet you." Alexi spoke in English.

The group went down to the basement after that. "I apologize. We meant no disrespect, to a captain. Particularly an American one. So how can I be in assistance?"

"I'm in the market for a hired gun. Someone the organization has used before. His calling card is a 7.62 millimeter gun laced with curare."

"I know no man who used such tools."

"I bet you can find out who does."

"First we will drink to each other's health, then I will look into the identity of this man you seek." Vodka. Typical.

"But first I will look into whether or not you are really bratva captain. Should this not be the case, I will send my mechanic here to find and to kill you and your family."  
Just try it. Slade thought.

The two lovers left together after that. A safe distance away, Slade started his slow and gruff chuckle. "Did you like my silent bodyguard act?"

"It was very funny." Oliver gave the man that, if it were to go Slade's way there'd be a lot more blood, "Did you have to dislocate the guy's arm?"

"He pulled a gun on you." Justifiable.

"I could do the very same thing, and not dislocate the man's arm." Oliver stated.

"But it wouldn't be as satisfying to me." Slade had on his "I like swords" smile.

"I think I'm liking this act of yours, Mr. Wilson." Oliver pushed the man into a wall.

"Wanna play, kid?" Did the man always have to use that voice.

"Let's find a better place." Oliver didn't fancy having a ten inch pole being rammed into him in the streets, where anybody could see them.

Line break

Fortunately, it was right after the two finished copulating when Alexi called Oliver's cell phone. 

The mercenary's name was Floyd Lawton. The address Alexi gave Oliver was the address that Lawton stayed at the last time he came to, so Oliver hoped the man was a creature of habit. Quickly getting up from their bed in Merlyn Manor, Oliver nearly fell from his legs giving out from under him, when he quickly pulled his way back onto the bed. Slade was way too excited after being forced to be celibate for such a long time.

"Maybe I'll take this one for you." Slade said as he wiped the cum flowing from the man's arse, "It'll be a mercenary stand-off."

Oliver knew Slade could handle himself and he knew exactly where the man would be so he would allow the man to leave his side. If only for part of the night.

Slade smiled at Oliver's decision and quickly kissed the boy's head as he redressed for the occasion. "Don't wait up on me."

Line Break

Papp Motel was a shit hole. The wallpaper was covered in floral wallpaper. Slade stood in front of door 52 with Oliver's bow and arrows. Wearing the green hood, nobody would ever know that the hood had an accomplice. Unfortunately, the only thing Slade had was a bullet-riddled laptop. A visit to Queen Consolidated's IT department was made the next day. 

Line Break

Slade returned to Oliver sleeping with his head under the covers. Again, his yellow tuff of hair the only thing indicating that he was there. A bigger bulge, and a fancier bed, but the kid hasn't changed. Still kind, still childish, and still a terrible liar. Exactly why Slade would be going to the technical department by himself.  
The department wasn't impressive. The walls were purple and not very… mechanical.

Slade found a blonde girl with glasses on. The smart type.

Felicity never had friends that liked scaring her from behind. That was why she was completely unprepared of hearing a sudden Australian accent come from behind her.  
"Felicity Smoke?" Slade watched as the woman nearly jumped out of her chair, "I'm Slade Wilson."

"Of course. I know who you are. Your dating Oliver Queen. The step-son of Walter. Who is the CEO of Q.C. And you obviously need something. 'Course you're not here to listen to me babble. Which will end in 3…2…1."

The woman was certainly endearing herself to the Aussie. She was much like how Oliver was when he first came into contact with Slade. The puppy would endlessly babble on with his movie references and other things until noticing that the Australian seemed to be ignoring the man.

"I'm having trouble with my computer and Oliver told me to come see you." Slade handed her the bullet riddled laptop.

"And where is Mr. Queen?" Felicity asked the ex-spy.

"He's resting at home, if you understand me, Ms. Smoak." Slade answered the blonde, "I spilled my coffee on the thing and I can't get it to work. If you can get anything off it, that'd be great."

"There are bullet holes in here." Felicity pointed out the numerous holes in the machine.

"I have coffee in a bad neighborhood?" 

Slade never said his lies were better than Oliver's...

It was a few minutes later when Felicity connected the laptop to her computer. After a risky conversation, Slade or rather Felicity found information on Deadshot going after the auction at Unidact Industries. Slade knew there were too many targets for both Oliver and him to cover. They'll need help.

Line Break

Detective Lance was not having a good day. He wasn't getting any good leads on the curare case, and his partner is convinced the hood is using guns now. Now he was getting smashed into cars and being told to bring men to some auction. The hood guy seemed a little taller than usual too, but maybe that was because the man confronted the detective at a closer distance than previously. 

Line Break

Why the fuck was his sister in the building? By the time Oliver walked to his sister, chaos was reining the building. Multiple gunshots were filling the building and already three people have died. Running from the chaos and leaving his sister and mother to Diggle, Oliver ran to the stair case to pick up his costume and went after Deadshot.

A quick window breakthrough allowed Oliver to enter the building Deadshot was in. A quick hand to hand fight and Oliver seemed to be cornered behind a cement post. 

"You're just like me." Lawton commented to the hood, "a killer."

"I'm nothing like you, my kills have a purpose." Oliver quickly shot an arrow at the man before hiding behind the post again. This time the bullets stopped and Oliver walked over to reveal a dead Floyd Lawton with an arrow through the eye. After a few tense moments, Oliver heard some groans in the hallway behind him. Looking behind only to see John Diggle kneeling over, shot with a poisoned bullet. 

I guess we have another team member.


	15. Nearing the End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such the late update guys, I've been depressed for awhile and just didn't have the energy for this, so I'll try to wrap this up and start fresh and some other works.

After a rather dramatic confrontation with Dig stomping out of the _Arrow Cave_ and Slade getting food from _Big Belly Burger_ Oliver was continuing his work on how to break into Merlyn Global Group. Oliver’s best bet was most likely using the elevator system, and knocking out any minimum wage security officers on his way to the computer mainframe. Once that was done he could upload a USB drive into the mainframe, letting the software in the USB drive do its work, stealing any information regarding biological agents.

Saving the drafted plans, Oliver noticed Slade standing by the office with his arms filled with food and drinks. Opening the door for the man, he was greeted with the Australian man’s loving smile and company for the next few hours as they discussed their plans to break into MGG with their CEO’s permission.

“So you want to walk in there, in the middle of the night, and use the elevators to go to the mainframe of a multibillion dollar company?” asked Slade, “and you want to do this tonight.”

“Yeah basically, I mean, there’s no point in dragging this on.” Oliver took a bite of his burger, the ketchup almost falling onto his lap if not for the napkin he put on, “We go in there, take the data, and I’m sure you can give the information to A.S.I.S.”

“A.S.I.S.?” Slade thought that was a pretty random, “My former employer?”

“I mean if not them, then I guess we can hand it over to Waller? I mean, this is a biological attack my mother is planning, unlike an earthquake, there’s no way it’s going to be limited to the Glades. It’ll spread across the city, many even across the nation, if there’s a large of wind. This isn’t just about Starling anymore, so the actual government should be involved, so we just need to send them good enough proof and I’m sure they can handle the rest.”

“So you don’t plan on handling this by yourself?”

“Hell no. I’m not an idiot and unlike the island we have outside help. If we could’ve called in A.S.I.S. for assistance, then we wouldn’t have had any trouble at all.”

“That is true. If we had any of the resources we had here at the island, things would be a lot easier.” Slade looked back to the time when all the two had was a broken radio that could only listen in on radio communication.

“So it’s agreed? We’ll break into MGG, steal the data, and turn all the information we have over to A.S.I.S.” stated Oliver.

“Everything will be over after this. It means your book is pretty much solved, we’ll be stopping your mom from killing millions, and we’ll be free to basically do whatever we want.”

“And we’ll do this tonight?”

“Yeah.” Oliver said wiping his hands with a napkin, “Let’s get this over with.”

 


	16. The End

“You know, if we had Dig and Felicity on our side right now, I’m sure there’d be a ridiculously complicated plan involving drugged fast food, thinly held disguises, and elaborated timing.” Oliver stated, as he used an access card he “borrowed” from Tommy to open the _restricted access elevators_.

“You would’ve probably done it in broad daylight too.” Slade added in as he followed the blonde to the elevator.

“It would’ve been all _Mission Impossible_ , with numerous bouts of suspense and humor. Honestly thinking about it makes me wish we did something like that instead, but we honestly don’t have time for fun and games.”

“Not to mention, we pretty much have permission to steal from Malcolm so not a lot of effort is needed.” Slade commented as the doors opened to a hallway leading to the mainframe, “So we just plug this drive in, and it’ll do the work?”

“Yup.” Oliver said, striding past the Australian and into the mainframe room.

Sitting on one of the desks, Oliver turned the computer on and slipped the drive inside and waited for the data to transfer.

* * *

 

After talking to his old handler and emailing him the data content that would implicate Moira in her plans on undertaking a biological attack, Slade figured a meeting with the group would come in handy.

Tommy, Malcolm, Oliver, and Slade were all meeting in the Merlyn Mansion. Sitting together in the living room, both Oliver and Slade informed the others how they sent copies to a handler in A.S.I.S. So, all they’ll have to do is sit back and wait as A.S.I.S. shares it with the U.S. government, who will in turn arrest Moira Queen for the deranged woman that she is.

* * *

 

Contrary to what some people think, the government is swift when dealing with any biological threat, especially when information comes from a retired, yet highly regarded special forces agent. Upon receiving the news of the impending biological attack, A.S.I.S. quickly sends it to the United States’ FBI Director, who in turn initiates an emergency meeting.

The meeting is decisive in researching just how vast the attack will be. Analysists researching weather patterns, dispersal rates and what the National Guard should be armed with when arresting Moira Queen was also a very big concern.

Small and elite teams are split up and sent out. Some teams were sent to guard Malcolm Merlyn, Tommy Merlyn, Oliver Queen, and Slade Wilson. Another team was sent to survey the laboratories at Queen Consolidated for a _routine government checkup._ The final team was sent to the Queen Mansions to arrest Moira Queen.

It was a quiet night with Moira lying in bed with her current husband, Walter Steele. Walter was sound asleep, unaware of what was soon to occur, and Moira was awake in bed. Her mind wandering to how Starling City will be after she brings about her revenge. It was quite sudden when a something was thrown through her window, but she figured she’ll deal with it when she woke up in the morning.

The plan was to throw a canister of knockout gas through the window. Leaving Moira Queen unable to set off any kind of biological weapon, as she was in her bed, was a perfect plan to arrest the woman. All that would be left is to take her in and read her, her rights when she woke up.

* * *

 

 

It was a media uproar when it came out that Moira Queen was arrested for attempting a biological attack on the city. The fact that she was also being held in suspicion for her involvement with the sinking of _The Gambit_ was a small footnote in the rather large news column. The trial was quick and swift despite how much Moira’s lawyer tried to prolong it. The evidence obtained against her was immense and there was nothing she could do but watch as every dirty secret she had was aired out for the media to pounce on.

A lot of people were surprised by these secrets. Need-less to say Thea Queen was very surprised to find out she had a father in Malcolm Merlyn. Malcolm himself was surprised to have had a daughter after the death of his lovely wife, Becca; however, he was eternally grateful for another chance of getting to know his family. Tommy was completely happy that he never actually dated or had sex with Thea, disgusted with the fact that he previously thought of Thea as being sexually attractive. Slade Wilson always knew Oliver had a kind of weird life style so this plot twist never surprised the secret agent.

Oliver Queen thought he had a few friends at Starling when he was stranded at Lian Yu. It turns out he was wrong. When he came back, he found himself to have more family than he ever thought he would’ve had and even keep the one friend he always loved.

* * *

 

And what happened to John Diggle and Laurel Lance? Well John later found out what it was Oliver was looking into and the two remain acquaintances, bumping into each other at _Big Belly Burger_. Laurel Lance woke up from her coma after receiving a mysterious dose of water from a location called _The Lazarus Pit_.


End file.
